"Actor: Neil Innes"

• The Raggy Dolls - The Complete Series Four | DVD | (13/06/2011) from £34.75   |  Saving you £-24.76 (N/A%)   |  RRP £9.99

  In the fourth series of this magical cartoon classic, our faithful friends from the reject bin are joined by a whole host of new colourful characters, including Rupert The Roo and Mr Grimes' cat, Mr Marmalade. Whenever anyone is in trouble, the Raggy Dolls are always on hand to save the day, but with crazy golf, a treasure hunt and an old windmill to explore, there is always a whole lot of fun to be having along the way! Episodes comprise: 1. The Terrible Storm 2. The Stolen Parrot 3. Crazy Golf 4. Pumpernickel's Party 5. On Safari 6. Making Faces 7. The Old Windmill 8. The Little Cart-Horse 9. Making Jam 10. Teddy Bears Picnic 11. Mr Marmalade 12. The Treasure Hunt 13. Rupert The Roo

• MONTY PYTHON: DAS LEBEN DES BR | Blu Ray | (22/11/2007) from £N/A   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

• Jabberwocky | DVD | (03/09/2012) from £9.70   |  Saving you £N/A (N/A%)   |  RRP £N/A

  A medieval comedy-adventure starring Michael Palin and directed by Terry Gilliam, Jabberwocky is an episodic adaptation of Lewis Carroll's surreal poem. Having previously directed Monty Python and The Holy Grail (1975) with Terry Jones, Jabberwocky marked Gilliam's solo directorial debut--is it coincidental that Jones is killed by the titular monster in the opening scene? Palin plays the naive Dennis Cooper, a man seeking his fortune just as the Jabberwocky is laying waste to the country. It's much the same world as Holy Grail, with all the trappings of the romantic Hollywood epic being liberally coated with literal and metaphorical muck. Palin's character causes unwitting mayhem wherever he goes--one stand-out scene involves the destruction of a maintenance shop for damaged knights-in-armour--though as much humour comes from exposing the foibles of the people he meets. And those people constitute a roll call of contemporary British comedy: Harry H Corbett as a sex-mad squire, Warren Mitchell's Mr Fishfinger, plus Annette Badland, Max Wall, John Le Mesurier, Rodney Bewes, John Bird, Neil Innes and John Gorman. Jabberwocky lacks the hilarity of Holy Grail, but is a consistently amusing, exceptionally atmospheric, gleefully gory yarn which points the way to Gilliam's Time Bandits (1981) and The Adventures of Baron Munchausen (1988). On the DVD Jabberwocky is distinguished by an engaging and enthusiastic commentary from Gilliam and Palin, in which they delight in the amazing cast and ponder how such a handsome film was made. Otherwise the extras are a short sketch-to-screen comparison, three posters and three trailers (only one for Jabberwocky). Transferred anamorphically enhanced at 1.77:1, the picture is variable, with many beautifully lit indoor scenes looking fine, while other exterior, daylight shots appear washed out. There is some minor print damage. The sound is a revelation for a low-budget 1970s film originally released in mono. Given a full Dolby Digital 5.1 remix the tremendously detailed, rich and involving soundscape really brings Gilliam's world alive and puts many much more recent and expensive titles to shame. --Gary S Dalkin